Autumn in New Zealand officially starts on 1 March and runs through to 31 May each year.

Key dates

  • Start of autumn in NZ: 1 March.
  • End of autumn in NZ: 31 May.
  • This is the standard meteorological season used across New Zealand, opposite to the Northern Hemisphere (where autumn is around September–November).

What it’s like in early autumn

  • Early March still feels quite summery in many places, with warm days and mild evenings.
  • As April approaches, days stay sunny but nights get cooler and classic gold-and-red foliage becomes more noticeable, especially in places like Central Otago and Queenstown.

TL;DR: If you are planning around “when does autumn start in NZ,” treat 1 March as the start date, with the most autumnal colours usually showing from mid‑April onward.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.